Today, sneaker brand OG Kicks opened its new store on Carnaby Street, aiming to become “London’s premier destination for footwear fashion enthusiasts“.
Featuring a raft of brands including Nike, Adidas, New Balance and Fear Of God, the new store is designed to provide customers with an “unparalleled shopping experience”, which showcases a wide range of after-market sneakers and the opportunity to sell and trade in a safe environment.
The new location follows on from the success of its first UK store located in Brighton.
“It’s just the start for OG Kicks. We’re really looking forward to seeing how, how big we can grow the company within the retail and the online space,” OG Kicks CEO Ryan Jackson tells InternetRetailing.
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On starting on Depop
According to Jackson, who started the business from his bedroom in 2016, the company skyrocketed to become a top-ten Depop seller worldwide, before opening its first store in Brighton weeks before the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.
Commenting on the pandemic, Jackson says the period was a “scary time” forcing the company to quickly adapt and go back online.
However, Jackson claims the business has no plans to work with the reselling platform, instead he says: “I would never say never, but we’ve changed quite a lot over the years.”
He adds: “We used to sell a lot of secondhand items which is predominantly what Depop is known for, but now we’re selling more brand new items.”
“The good thing about our products is the fact that although our products are second hand, they are in new condition, which saves customers a lot of money.”
Jackson also unveils plans to introduce more brands to its roster including Bape and Stone Island.
On competing with Size?
The store, located on 19 – 21 Foubert’s Place, is just meters away from rival sneaker brand Size?
He says: “We’ve got a great mix between used and new, which gives us more variety than a lot of the other stores.”
According to Jackson, what stops the comparison between the two retailers is the fact that OG Kicks is also a resale platform, whereas Size? specialising in brand new trainers and streetwear.
“We can really focus on the more sought after pairs that you can’t see anywhere else,” he says. “We’re definitely more of a destination store that you’re coming in and you’re seeing thousands pounds worth of sneakers, some going up to £6,000 pounds, which is not what you see in a regular store.”
“We started off slow. We were on a back street down in Brighton, then we upgraded to Bond Street, which is a bit more prominent in Brighton and now two years later now we are here on Carnaby Street.”
On the future of the brand
The company’s approach to grow online is making sure it is increasing its inventory, offering “the best service” and even hoping to starting online consignments, a business arrangement wherein goods are left in the possession of another party, who sell the goods and keep a percentage of the sale.
“We’re maturing as a company and now we’ve got more staff so now we can really focus on growing the online,” Jackson claims.
“In a dream world, OG Kicks would have stores all over the UK, potentially Europe, and grow our community and online massively.”
Image credit: InternetRetailing
